


arachnophobia

by InvadingThoughts



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter/Funhaus RPF
Genre: Angst, Arachnophobia, Established Relationship, Giant Spiders, M/M, Spiders, Swearing, kinda??, king AU, minecraft au, theyre bigger than they're fucking meant to be so i guess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-22
Updated: 2017-01-22
Packaged: 2018-09-19 06:43:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,882
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9422942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InvadingThoughts/pseuds/InvadingThoughts
Summary: It doesn’t sound… right. He’s heard zombies before, listened to the sound of their undead groans and felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. He’s heard the click of the bones belonging to the reanimated skeletons, the sound of them nocking their arrow before letting it fly.He’s also heard spiders, and when he thinks about it… the shuffling sound can be easily the sound of eight legs scuttling along the stone walls and floor- and the thought makes Michael’s blood run cold.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the prompt "Spiders, of course it’s spiders," on tumblr!
> 
> You can find me there @ zeroyalchilly!
> 
> (also I greatly relate to Michael in this fic, i would not like to be in his position.)

The cave practically swallows them whole the second they take a few steps inside as if the earth is welcoming them home. The rock and dirt walls surround them so easily, blocking out the warm sunlight beating down on their backs and replacing it with cold, damp darkness. Michael lights a torch, Ray taps his iron sword against the wall.

“You think this will hold up? I’d rather it not collapse in on us,” he grunts, “I _don’t_ particularly want to die crushed under a million tonnes of stone today, thanks.” He pulls his sword back and lifts it up, fingers sliding gently against the blade to see if he’s scuffed it. Michael doesn’t answer, instead, he just ducks his head and trudges forward. They’ve got a little under three hours to get the job done before dusk, and honestly, Michael just wants to go home already. Today isn’t the best day for a mission, but Geoff called upon him personally and Michael’s not one to turn down a command from his king.

He hears Ray sigh from behind him, and then the sound of footsteps thumping against the smooth stone floor. “Alright, so you’re _still_ mad at me,” he mutters, slipping back into step with Michael, who deliberately avoids looking over at him. They make their way through the cave in a stilted silence, squeezing between the stone walls and jumping up onto overhangs. He doesn’t acknowledge Ray’s existence any further than offering him a hand to climb up the ledges, and Michael can see that it’s driving him up the wall.

 _Good_.

He swings the torch in front of him, hoping the light will keep away any mobs that have taken up residence in the dark and keeps walking. His sword is safely attached to his hip, ready to be unsheathed at a moment's notice, but for now, everything remains still and silent. That is until Ray breaks it.

“Michael, will you just talk to me,” he pleads and Michael takes a sharp turn right, uncaring if Ray falls behind. Honestly, talking to him is the last thing he wants to do- it’s been three days and Michael still feels like he could strangle the other man. He’s mad, he hasn’t had enough time to sort through his feelings and Ray’s an idiot if he thinks he’s going to get back on Michael’s good side so damn easily. “I don’t even understand why you’re mad, I didn’t do anything! No! Actually! I did, I did my _fucking_ job, Michael,” he continues, getting angrier by the second.

“You were reckless,” Michael hisses back, unable to hold his tongue any longer.

“I saved him! What? W-what more do you want from me?” He demands and his hand shoots out and grabs Michael by the wrist, effectively stopping him from moving any further into the cave. Unease grows in Michael’s stomach, if this keeps going- if this argument turns into a full on fight- they’re going to attract some unwanted attention. He turns back to face Ray and deliberately ignores the look of hurt and anger that clouds his husband’s gaze.

“I want you to shut up, just _shut the fuck up_ ,” he replies, wrenching his arm free, “now is not the time to fucking do this, so shut your goddamn mouth and let's get this damn job done.”

“Now is the only time to do this! When we get back to the city, you’re just going to run the fuck away and I’m not- I can’t let you do that.” Ray runs his free hand through his hair, letting out a huff and Michael almost reaches out to fix the lock of hair pushed out of place. But Ray snaps back to attention and continues speaking, words coming out in a rush, “Michael, I’m a knight. It’s my job to protect the prince-”

He rolls his eyes. “I _know-_ ”

“-so what else was I meant to do? What would you have preferred I do? Let Gavin die?” he finishes and Michael just deflates; all of the anger draining out of him within a second. A sigh escapes his lips and when he glances up at Ray, he doesn’t quite know what to say. He knows, no matter how much he tries to ignore it, his anger manifested itself out of fear. It’s just a bit much to handle sometimes, because every morning he wakes up beside his husband, kisses him until they’re both breathless and then has to watch him leave for the castle- knowing that there's a chance he might not come back.

And then, to have that fear almost come true- well, Michael couldn’t handle it.

“What would you have preferred I do, Michael?” he repeats, voice barely above a whisper and Michael meets his gaze.

“Stay safe,” he replies, sucking in a breath, “I want you to stay safe. I want you to come home to me, I want to wake up next to you for the rest of my life. I want to see you with grey hair, I want you to be around to be there for our future kids. And I can’t have that if you- if you be reckless…”

Ray doesn’t waste a moment after Michael trails off, he strides forward and closes the distance between them. He pulls Michael into his arms and Michael clings to him desperately, hands gripping at his waist to pull them flush against each other. There not in the safest place, and the thought keeps making itself known in the back of Michael’s mind, but it’s been three days since he’s let himself enjoys Ray’s presence- his touch- so he wants this moment. He presses his face into the crook of Ray’s neck, lightly kissing at the exposed skin just enough to make Ray shudder against him.

“Love you,” Ray whispers and Michael smiles into his skin, his grip getting a little bit tighter.

“I love you too,” he replies and he can’t help but pout when Ray pulls away.

“Come on, let's just get this job finished. Then we can go home and I can fuck you into the mattress,” Ray murmurs and the bolt of heat that flushes through Michael almost makes him whine. He bites his tongue and takes a step back from his husband, reluctantly slipping his hand into his tunic to pull out their orders from Geoff.

“ _Jones, I trust you and your husband to make quick work of this task. There is a cave to the south of Achievement City, and the townspeople have made complaints of an overabundance of mobs in the area,”_ he reads out, and Ray lets his gaze scan through the tunnels, _“Haywood has the suspicion that there might be a spawner present. See to it that it is destroyed and any mobs you find are taken care of. Your services will be rewarded_.”

“Five years and he still talks to you like you’re a fresh hire,” Ray huffs and Michael shrugs.

“I’m not to bothered, as long as he’s got the gold, he can fucking grunt at me for all I care,” he replies, sighing softly before turn on his heel and making his way further into the cave. Ray snorts from behind him, and Michael already knows what he’s about to ask before he even opens his mouth.

“Are you ever going to pledge to him?” he questions and Michael doesn’t hesitate to shake his head.

“No.”

“Why? You already take more jobs from him than anyone else, you wouldn’t be changing much, Michael,” he argues, “it’s not horrible, you know that and it would be nice to see you up at the castle more often. We could spend our afternoons together.”

Michael glances back over his shoulder at him, letting his gaze flicker over Ray in all his glory. His black boots and red tunic, with long black pants and that damn black cape Michael can’t seem to convince him to get rid of him. And then there's the chest plate and the chainmail that sits overtop, the one with Ramsey’s insignia cut into it that Michael just can’t seem to get away from. He has nothing against the king, but the fact is that he’s the reason that Ray goes head first into dangerous situations without a second thought.

He can’t pledge to the king because then he’d be tasked with keeping the royal family safe with Ray by his side- and he knows that if he were put into that situation, it would not be the Ramseys’ he would be protecting.

It would be Ray.

“I like my freedom,” he replies instead and Ray rolls his eyes.

“No you don’t, you complain endlessly about the other contacts you take. You hate working independently, and yet you continue to do so. You have other options, Michael, you don’t have to be a knight like me-” he says but Michael cuts him off, holding up his hand to quiet him. He can see the challenge in Ray’s eyes, the want to dismiss Michael’s orders and continue talking but then he hears it too.

The sound of shuffling, the sound that tells them there’s something else here with them.

They both have their swords draw within a matter of seconds, their conversation dropped at the threat of an attack. Michael takes the point and Ray follows close behind, and they advance to the sound with slow steps. It’s agonising to move slowly, but Michael doesn’t want to lose their element of surprise and honestly, part of him is terrified to find out the source.

It doesn’t sound… right. He’s heard zombies before, listened to the sound of their undead groans and felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. He’s heard the click of the bones belonging to the reanimated skeletons, the sound of them nocking their arrow before letting it fly.

He’s also heard spiders, and when he thinks about it… the shuffling sound can be easily the sound of eight legs scuttling along the stone walls and floor- and the thought makes Michael’s blood run cold. He sucks in a breath to steady his pounding heart and prays that it’s not spiders. He pushes forward and ducks underneath the low hanging stone roof, catching sight of something glowing in the distance.

The spawner.

The gridded cube casts a shadow on the walls with every pulsating glow it emits, but it’s enough for Michael to catch sight of the things that rest on the walls and the roof. Red eyes stare back at him, unconcerned with their presence but Michael knows that if they move any closer, that will change. Ray moves to his side, and when his husband gently reaches out to grab his wrist, Michael can’t help but jump.

“Spiders, of course, it’s fucking spiders,” he whispers and Michael swallows around the lump forming in his throat. They shouldn’t have taken this job.

Ray tugs at his arm until Michael’s gaze snaps away from the spiders and it lands on him instead. “We can do this, yeah? You’ve killed spiders before Michael-” he holds up a hand when Michael opens his mouth to argue- “no, you _have_. And it might not have been fun, it might not have been the easiest thing to do, but you _did_ it. So I’m going to destroy the spawner, and you’re going to defend me, alright?”

Michael shakes his head violently, letting out a hiss, “I can’t- I can’t.”

“Yes you can, babe.” He grabs Michael’s hands and pulls him in close, enough so that he can rest their foreheads together. Michael can feel himself trembling slightly, he can feel the burn of the tears forming behind his eyes but Ray’s touch grounds him slightly and so he tries to calm himself down. “You’ll keep me safe, I trust you. So let's get this done, and then we can go home and I’ll make you feel better, I promise.”

It takes all of his willpower not to let out a sob when Ray pulls away, hands clenching into fists by his side when he’s forced to stand on his own. He can hear them, he can hear them shuffling around a few feet away from him and it’s torture. Just the idea of getting close to them makes Michael want to pass out, head spinning with fear; but Ray’s right, if they don’t get rid of the spawner then there's a chance of the mobs attacking the nearby townspeople.

Plus, he’s got to keep Ray safe.

Ray moves first, quietly following the length of the wall towards the glowing spawner and once he’s as close as possible without provoking an attack, Michael sucks in a breath and charges forward. He needs to keep their attention, give Ray enough time to get close to the spawner and find a way to destroy it; so he does what he does best. He lets out a growl and swings for the closest spider, embedding his blade in its cephalothorax before removing it just as quickly. It’s legs give out from underneath it, and while Michael knows that there's plenty more spiders to kill- the thought making his stomach turn- he takes a small victory.

He glances up at Ray, needing reassurance that his husband’s still okay, and catches sight of him effortlessly slaying each new spider that spawns next to him. He’s not overrun yet, but Michael still changes his path so that he fights his way towards him, not away from him. He spins left and swings at the next closest arachnid, slicing through its legs with a clean sweep and then brings the sword back down to decapitate it. His focus darts between the horrid creatures, swiping at one then switching his attention to another, back and forth until he has another corpse lying at his feet and their green blood stains the floor.

They never seem to stop coming, and he can feel his chest getting tighter with every breath he takes. He’s going to hyperventilate, he can just see it coming, the panic pushing down on him with each spider that spawns. There's too many, they don’t stop coming and Michael can’t fight them all. He lets out a whimper and bites down on his lip hard enough to draw blood, unable to stop the flood of thoughts drowning him. They’re going to die, Ray’s going to die, and all because he’s too afraid of fucking spiders to keep his partner safe.

 _Ray’s going to die. Ray’s going to die. Ray’s going to die_ -

What little air he has left is knocked out of his lungs when something pounces on him, dropping him to the ground with a grunt and he barely manages to shield himself with his arms before the spider can bite him. Up close, it’s even worse and Michael knows he’s definitely crying now. He can’t see Ray, his sword is nowhere near him and he’s not sure how much longer he’s going to be able to hold this thing off. There is venom dripping from the spider's fangs and it makes Michael’s stomach sick. He sucks in a desperate breath and pushes back, hoping to dislodge the arachnid from his chest. His arms shake as he fights and he can’t stop whispering Ray’s name under his breath, but he doesn’t give in.

_He’s gotta keep Ray safe, he’s gotta keep Ray safe._

He gets the spider far enough off of him to take another gasp for breath and then suddenly the spider on top of him goes limp, just enough for him to dislodge it completely. He dumps the corpse off of him and the second his gaze falls on Ray, he can’t help but let out a desperate sob. Ray doesn’t waste a second, he crouches down to Michael’s level and frames his face with his hands, crowding up against him. Michael wraps his arms around his husband’s waist and shudders in his arms.

“You did so well, baby. They’re all dead, the spawner's gone and I’m so proud of you Michael. You kept me safe, you kept me safe, I’m alright,” he soothes and Michael lets his eyes fall shut. “We can go home, I’ll take care of you, we can forget about all of this, yeah? God, I love you, I love you so much, Michael.”

“I love you,” he whispers back and Ray hums softly, not daring to break contact. The silence is a much better sound and while it’s broken every few moments by the sound of Michael’s heavy breathing, he’ll gratefully take it over the sound of the shuffling. He can’t quite find the energy to move, but Ray doesn’t seem to mind sitting with him so Michael just lets himself relax slowly.

He doesn’t know how long it’s been since they entered the cave, he doesn’t know how long they’ve been sitting there in the dark when he slowly comes back to himself. But his sobs have subsided and he’s not shaking as violently anymore, so he knows it’s time to leave. He doesn’t let go of Ray, though, and while it makes standing up slightly awkward, they manage.

“Let’s go home, Michael,” Ray mutters and Michael nods.

God, he _fucking hates_ spiders.  


End file.
